Statoil sees more oil beyond Fram H North project

A group led by Statoil ASA plans to start production in the third quarter of 2014 from the Fram H North structure in the North Sea offshore Norway in a fast-track project to recover an estimated 10 million bbl of oil equivalent and which may lead to other developments.

Fram H North, discovered in 2007 and one of the smallest fast-track developments on the Norwegian Continental Shelf, involves setting a seabed template that is connected to Fram West A2 template, which ships production to the Troll C platform.

The Statoil group will install seabed equipment and lay pipelines and control cables in mid-2013. It will drill a dual lateral well in the fourth quarter of 2013 to optimally drain the reservoir.

The project has been important for Fram operations in maintaining a high temperature in the flow line to the Troll C host platform, Statoil said. This enables the group to avoid using scale wax inhibitors in the pipelines between Fram and Troll C.

Halfdan Knudsen, project manager for field development in Statoil, said Fram H North “may be a door opener for new developments in the area as the license partners have approved the installation of a 4-slot standard template to be used for additional targets or for tying back prospects in the event of discoveries.”

Fram H North straddles PL090 and PL248 north of Fram West in the Troll area. Statoil has a 45% stake in PL090 and 60% in PL248. ExxonMobil has 25%, GDF Suez 15%, and Idemitsu 15% in PL090, and Petoro has 40% in PL248.